Sports Ethics Center spent 7 months probing Gangwon FC chief before dismissing case

The Sports Ethics Center conducted a seven-month investigation into Gangwon FC chief Kim Byung-ji before dismissing the case, it has emerged.

According to Yonhap, the Sports Ethics Center decided on Dec. 3 last year to reclassify Kim's status from "complainant" to "subject of investigation" and launched a formal probe. Kim was notified of the change in his status.

The investigation centered on allegations that Kim had given preferential treatment to a sports agency where his son worked — directing players to sign with the agency and arranging for the club to pay excessive commissions alongside player contracts. The case originated when a media outlet reported the alleged irregularities, prompting Kim, who had maintained his innocence, to voluntarily file a self-report with the Sports Ethics Center requesting an investigation into himself.

Under the direction of the investigation chief, the assigned investigator spent seven months on the case. The center conducted a comprehensive review of every player Gangwon FC signed during Kim's tenure and secured internal club documents related to the matter.

The findings, however, never became public. After the investigator submitted the report, the Sports Ethics Center's deliberation committee — the body responsible for deciding whether to impose disciplinary action — voted to dismiss the case.

In June, the deliberation committee ruled: "Regarding the intent of this complaint, the complaint naming the complainant himself as the subject of investigation is deemed not to fall within the scope of cases subject to Sports Ethics Center investigation as defined under Article 18-4 of the National Sports Promotion Act and related regulations. Accordingly, this complaint is dismissed."

Meanwhile, it could not be confirmed what recommendation — dismissal or disciplinary action — the assigned investigator had included in the report submitted to the committee, Yonhap reported.